Danny Masterson Wishes Dad Happy Birthday, Fans Wish for His Return to ‘The Ranch’

Former star of The Ranch, Danny Masterson returned to social media on Wednesday, and once again prompted fans in asking for his character to return to the series.

Masterson snapped a photo from Yankee Stadium in New York City of the stadium’s big screen wishing his father, Pete Masterson, a happy 70th Birthday.

“Happy [birthday] dad! We f—ing love you!!! [Sneaky Pete] go [Yankees],” he wrote.

The post brought many of his supporters out.

“So what’s the deal rooster? Is Netflix going to let you back or am I finished with the ranch?” one commenter wrote on his Twitter account.

“Ranch won’t be worth watching without you,” wrote another.

“What are the chances of you coming back in part 7? I refuse to watch part 6 without you,” wrote a fan in a lengthy Instagram comment. “You(‘re) easliy the best part of the show. Netflix did you wrong and Rooster wrong.”

In March 2017, four women came forward with rape allegations against Masterson from the early 2000s. He denied the allegations and no charges were ever filed based off an investigation with the Los Angeles Police Department.

However, in response to the allegations, Netflix fired Masterson from the comedy series in December.

“As a result of ongoing discussions, Netflix and the producers have written Danny Masterson out of The Ranch,” Netflix wrote in a statement at the time. “[Monday] was his last day on the show, and production will resume in early 2018 without him.”

His character, Rooster Bennett, was written off in the final episode of Part 5 (released on June 15) when a conman pointed a gun at him and demanded he disappear from Garrison, Colorado.

Masterson released a statement of his own to TV Line shortly after his firing was announced.

“I am obviously very disappointed in Netflix’s decision to write my character off of The Ranch,” Masterson said. “From Day 1, I have denied the outrageous allegations against me. Law enforcement investigated these claims more than 15 years ago and determined them to be without merit. I have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one. In this country, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. However, in the current climate, it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused.”

The firing hasn’t stopped Masterson from promoting the latest crop of released episodes, nor has it stopped fans from officially petitioning to have him return.

“That’s right y’all. America’s favorite badasses are back. Right now on Netflix,” Masterson wrote on Instagram with a photo of his and Ashton Kutcher’s characters. “Season 5 is live.”

The latest petition on Change.org has more than 2,700 signatures (with a goal of 5,000) as of this writing.

“15 years ago these allegations were investigated by police….no charges were ever brought against Danny however Netflix has brought it upon themselves to start this witch hunt against him, and ruining what could’ve been a long run for The Ranch,” the petition creators demanded. “Let’s show them we believe in innocent until proven guilty!”